International’ market opens on Black Friday

Friday

A new supermarket opened on the busiest shopping day of the year Friday, looking to cater to Norwich’s two fastest-growing ethnic groups and fill a void in the downtown food chain.

A new supermarket opened on the busiest shopping day of the year Friday, looking to cater to Norwich’s two fastest-growing ethnic groups and fill a void in the downtown food chain.

The Panda Supermarket on Franklin Street began operating on Black Friday. Customer traffic was brisk at several points, which was a mixed blessing for Manager Nancy Wei, who was busy dealing with register equipment failures in addition to greeting customers.

“I didn’t want to be slammed the first day,” she said.

The 2,700-square-foot store, owned by Westerly, R.I., resident Sam Li, has foods from all over the world -- coffee from New Orleans and Vietnam, beef jerky from Canada, leading American soft drinks including Pepsi -- but specializes in Far East products. Some appeal to standard American tastes -- such as rice from Thailand and sweet sausage from China -- while others, such as salted jelly fish and dried octopus, have probably not been tasted by most local palates.

“We’re emphasizing the international aspect,” Wei said. “And we will add items depending upon demand.”

Panda is setting up a live fish tank. It is also selling seafood off of ice beds. Asians and Hispanics are the fastest-growing ethnic groups in Norwich, according to last year’s U.S. Census. Panda’s employees, currently four in number, and customers are cognizant of that.

“It’s nice that they’re thinking of the Spanish people,” Wai Lan Lau said while shopping at Panda.

Norwich’s Asian population has been without a local grocery store since the Chinatown Food Center on Hamilton Avenue closed last year. Downtown Norwich has been without a grocery store for much longer than that, residents said.

“We’ve needed something like this for a long time,” Nydia Hernandez of Norwich said. “I like to cook and there’s so many different things to try here.”

Panda’s produce section, which includes oranges, lemons, onions, and unusually large carrots, fills an important food void downtown. The New London County Food Policy Council, whose members include The William W. Backus Hospital and United Way of Southeastern Connecticut, have been looking for ways to get more fruits and vegetables into urban settings.

“We want to cater to the office crowd and we want people to get everything they need here,” Wei said.

Panda Supermarket will be open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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